Clutch solo tackle of Derrick Henry set new Tennessee Titans DB Lonnie Johnson apart | Estes

Here’s what I remember about Lonnie Johnson Jr., newly acquired Tennessee Titans defensive back: He made one of the most clutch tackles I’ve ever seen, doing something few others have done.

Johnson tackled a full-speed Derrick Henry by himself in the open field.

It saved the game at the time for the Houston Texans, too, when Johnson was able to trip up Henry after a 53-yard catch-and-run swing pass in overtime of the 2020 game at Nissan Stadium.

“He actually gave me a concussion on that play,” Johnson said. “He kicked me in my helmet. But I was like, ‘Man, I got you down, and I saved the game for a couple more plays.’ ”

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The Titans would go on to score four plays later, winning 42-36 on a direct-snap touchdown by Henry.

For Johnson, an obvious bright spot to his own chaotic preseason has been that he ended up on the same team as Henry after having to face No. 22 the past three seasons in Houston.

“I ain’t got to hit him no more. Now somebody else takes the punishment,” Johnson said. “… I told him that the other day, actually. ‘Man, every time going into the game playing you, I’ve got to put a mindset of just no fear.’ ”

Johnson said he’s happy it worked out this way, with him in Tennessee – and not just because he’s now Henry’s teammate.

The Titans claimed Johnson, a 2019 second-round pick from Kentucky, off waivers last week. He’d been cut by the Kansas City Chiefs, a surprising preseason move considering KC had traded with Houston for Johnson this past offseason.

“I kind of expected what was going on in Kansas City to happen,” he said. “When it happened, it wasn’t like I was shocked or anything. I talked to the coaches. We had a good conversation, and we knew what it was time to do. …

“I’m more than happy the way it worked out. Coach Vrabs is just an awesome coach, a players’ coach. I’ve got some familiar coaches over here as well. I fit in over here. I feel like I fit in over here better than I did in Kansas City.”

Titans coach Mike Vrabel – a former Texans assistant coach whose current team has long been eager to add former Texans players – described Johnson last week as “big, long, fast” and “a physical player.”

“We like the opportunity to try to add him, coach him, see if he can define a role for himself on this football team and find a way to help us,” Vrabel said.

Help, it appears, is needed in the secondary, as evidenced by the Titans’ transactions of late.

In addition to claiming Johnson, the Titans last week traded for Las Vegas Raiders safety Tyree Gillespie. Then on Wednesday, after a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, word broke of the Titans trading for Nashville native Ugo Amadi of the Philadelphia Eagles.

At 6-foot-2, 213 pounds, Johnson is a versatile defensive back in that he could play safety or cornerback. Thus far, the Titans have been using him primarily at safety – a position at which they’ve clearly felt an urgency to add depth this preseason behind Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker.

Johnson helped force a fumble while playing a whopping 38 defensive snaps in Saturday’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a high number for a player who’d just arrived and is still learning the defense.

“He didn’t know much the first game,” Hooker said of Johnson, “but he showed more than what I expected for him to do as far as a mental standpoint. And he’s been showing up on special teams as well.”

For his part, Johnson said his transition to Nashville has been going smoothly.

It’s not easy to arrive midway through training camp, having to learn everything while also trying to impress enough to make the team.

But thanks to one game-saving tackle he made two years ago, it's likely that Johnson had impressed the Titans already.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans DB Lonnie Johnson glad to be on Derrick Henry's side